"A clear strength of this collection of essays lies in the well-planned structure allowing leading Johannine scholars to develop diverse aspects of Johannine ethics. Being a largely neglected topic until recently, this volume takes the possibility of Johannine ethics seriously and credibly shows the significance of the ethics within the theological structure of John. This is done by exploring the ethics of John with a renewed intensity, developing a variety of ethical themes in considerable detail and depth. A variety in approaches from different perspectives is offered that leads to different, novel and challenging results. The reader will be challenged to rethink what ethics is and how not only the text of John, but that of all the books of the New Testament should be approached when it comes to the ethical dynamics within these texts. This volume indeed represents a next step in the discussion about the ethics of John."
Johannine Ethics: The Moral World of the Gospel and Epistles of John
The Gospel and Epistles of John are commonly overlooked in discussions of New Testament ethics, often seen as of only limited value. Here, prominent scholars present varying perspectives on the surprising relevance and importance of the explicit imperatives and implicit moral perspective of the Johannine literature. The introduction sets out four major approaches to Johannine ethics today; a concluding essay takes stock of the wide-ranging discussion and suggests prospects for future study.
- Publisher Fortress Press
- Format Hardcover
- ISBN 9781451496468
- eBook ISBN 9781506438467
- Dimensions 6 x 9
- Pages 360
- Publication Date November 15, 2017
Contents
Preface
1. How Can We Talk About Johannine Ethics? (Christopher W. Skinner)
Part 1: The Johannine Imperatives
2. Believing in the Gospel of John (Sherri Brown)
3. Love One Another (Christopher W. Skinner)
4. “Follow Me” (Raymond F. Collins)
Part 2: Implied Ethics in the Johannine Literature
5. The Creation Ethics of the Gospel of John (R. Alan Culpepper)
6. Love Embodied in Action (Jaime Clark-Soles)
7. The Lyin’ King? (Adele Reinhartz)
8. John’s Implicit Ethic of Enemy-Love (Michael J. Gorman)
9. Just Opponents? (Alicia D. Myers)
10. The Johannine Request to “Come and See” and an Ethic of Love
(Toan Do)
11. God, Eschatology, and “This World” (Francis J. Moloney, SDB)
Part 3: Moving Forward
12. Genre, Rhetoric, and Moral Efficacy (Lindsey Trozzo)
13. Creation, Ethics, and the Gospel of John (Dorothy A. Lee)
14. Virtue Ethics and the Johannine Writings (Cornelis Bennema)
15. Moving the Conversation Forward (Christopher W. Skinner and
Sherri Brown)
Bibliography
Endorsements
This volume indeed represents a next step in the discussion about the ethics of John.
Jan G. van der Watt | Radboud University
These essays explore the rich and diverse field of Johannine ethics and provide us with new and fresh ways to address an old issue.
“Most scholars argue that the ethical content of the Johannine writings is minimal at best. The essays that Sherri Brown and Christopher Skinner have collected in this volume, however, show there is more to the ethical teaching of the Johannine writings than an earlier generation saw. Written by a group of accomplished scholars, these essays explore the rich and diverse field of Johannine ethics and provide us with new and fresh ways to address an old issue.”
Frank J. Matera | Emeritus, The Catholic University of America
Required reading for students of Johannine literature and early Christian ethics.
"Expertly curated, these essays address a pressing question: Are the Johannine Gospel and Epistles ethically deficient, or do they offer distinctive resources for faithful living? A stellar cast of contributors maps out diverse approaches to this classic problem. Required reading for students of Johannine literature and early Christian ethics."
Greg Carey | Lancaster Theological Seminary
This highly accessible book will quickly earn its place as a major resource for the study of Johannine ethics.
"In recent years there has been a notable shift in the discussion of the place of ethics in the Gospel of John. This splendid collection of essays moves the debate forward by addressing a number of key questions relating to the 'what', 'why', and particularly the 'how' of investigating John's ethical material and ethical potential. The volume contains a series of innovative contributions by a stellar cast of leading and emerging voices in Johannine studies, all of whom are convinced that the Gospel of John has much to contribute to explorations of the moral landscape of the New Testament writings. This highly accessible book will quickly earn its place as a major resource for the study of Johannine ethics."
Catrin Williams | University of Wales, Trinity Saint David